This review contains spoilers!
So the new legal drama “Conviction” was back for second episode and it definitely isn’t moving from my list of TV shows that I’m watching every week. There were great things and less interesting thing about the episode, but overall it was a good, solid second episode to a brand new show, that allowed us to learn about the characters and see justice being served. Let’s dive right into the review.
There were two main scenes that stayed in my memory after I watched the newest episode of the show, so I thought I talk about them first. In the review of the first episode I already mentioned how I loved the undeniable chemistry yet almost rivalry between Hayes and Wallace, and in this episode we got to see even more of that play out, especially because Hayes and her team took on one of Wallace’s carrier making cases. We also started to see the true colors of Wallace, when he sent Hayes’s mother to spy on her and then when he held a press conference about how this particular case weighted on him all along and that he was glad that CIU took it on, even though at the beginning he clearly wasn’t happy about the fact. This only shows how Wallace’s character, however likable he might seem, really is a politician ready to lie to move ahead in his carrier. However, it seems that he has one week spot and it is Hayes, and we could clearly see that in the scene when Hayes went to tell Wallace that the Brian confessed. He clearly was worried about her and wanted to kiss her, which makes me think that he is harboring more than just friendship towards her, but although, I am sure Hayes is right there with him, she is smarter than that and finally putting herself and her carrier first, not letting her feelings get in the way of that. Hopefully she keeps it up!
My second favorite scene of the episode was the ending scene with Hayley Atwell as Hayes and Daniel Franzese as her brother Jackson letting loose and having a dance party after a long week. I love how their relationship is set up and how they interact with each other. And I can only hope that in next episodes we will see Jackson more and that the writers of the show will give him more to do as well.
For me it is always very interesting to see how TV shows begin their episodes. Some do it with action, some with crime sequences and then there is one of my favorite ways, getting to see the characters outside their work, which usually is the main thing that shows revolve around. And I have loved how “Conviction” did that this episode. In fact, I love how they started both of their episodes so far, using interesting cut scenes between the main characters and different events, which only echoes what I said in the episode one review about the visual style of the show being great. Add the scenic shots with the buildings changing to the mix and you get yourself a unique look to a show, that could have easily just fallen into regular crime or legal drama category with visual style that is uninteresting and dull. Thank God “Conviction” made sure to find their “something special”!
And lastly I also wanted to touch on Hayes relationship with her mother. We already saw in the first episode that her relationship with Harper Morrison is strained at best, and this episode only confirmed that. But if in the first episode it looked like Hayes is the way she is towards her mother, because of Harper’s senate campaign, then with every new episode we get a little more insight in their relationship and that Hayes might be the way she is because she never really got the attention or care from her parents that she needed while growing up. Take the scene between Hayes and her mother in the CIU office for example, you can clearly see that Hayes was taken aback but glad when her mother told her that she is proud of her, but when it later turned out that Harper was just spying of her daughter for Wallace, she was angry and had tears in her eyes, but she wasn’t surprised of her mother’s actions. And that to me indicates that there is this underlying deep and long conflict between then that will be a pretty big storyline in the show. I am glad we finally get to also see the different, less confident and more sensitive side of Hayes. And this other side of her might actually be the drive that will keep Hayes solving these cases after the initial stubbornness and excitement about getting to overturn Wallace’s cases and write the wrongful convictions fades. I have a feeling that Hayes Morrison has a long and exiting journey of growing in front of her, and I am very much looking forward to following it.
Highlights of the episode:
• The beginning sequence of the episode
• How Hayes denies Wallace when he tried to kiss her
• Hayes and Jackson’s dance party at the end
• Hayes emotional side
• Seeing more of the characters’ lives outside the CIU
Let-downs of the episode:
• Sam Spencer almost telling the reporter about Hayes and how she got the job
• The too long of a scene where the boys were released from prison
Quote of the episode:
Jackson: Sleeping with the help. How egalitarian of you.
Hayes: If you don’t want me to sleep with the waiters from mom’s campaign events, don’t hire hot ones.
Jackson: Only ugly waiters. I’ll get right on that, it is not like I am running a senate campaign, or a hotel for that matter. You realize that hooking up with the former first daughter is probably a tweet worthy event for him?
Hayes: As long as he doesn’t give me a bad review, what do I care?